Mind The Gap

America’s British population has taken to the web to voice its displeasure at news that U.S. candy giant Hershey has successfully blocked our much loved U.K.-produced chocolate from being exported to the land of the free.

Photos: Sir Paul McCartney dines out with son James and daughter Mary.(Daily Mail)

Robbie Williams has advised Heather Mills to “stay strong” in her divorce with McCartney.

Ricky Wilson of Kaiser Chiefs says that many acts doing the Diana memorial are just trying to sell more records. “Elton John can do it – he knew her. I didn’t know her. It would be hypocritical.”(Daily Mail)

The two princes aren’t satisfied with the line-up announced yesterday: they want even bigger stars like Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, and Paul McCartney.(Mirror)

Sadie Frost is being linked to another piece of barely legal man-flesh. Dating younger is the best revenge, n’est-ce pas?(Page Six)

Metro takes jibes at Jude Law for jet-setting on an “unglamorous” budget airline and “wearing dodgy white framed sunglasses.”

The Independent interviews the happiest hip-hopper ever, UK rapper Just Jack: “I’ve never been a particularly angry person and I’ve never been into music that’s threatening,” he says.

Amy Winehouseain’t ashamed to show her emotions: “A lot of music now is trying to be cool and like, ‘Yeah, I don’t really care about you’ – a really blasé attitude. I think it’s much nicer to be in love, and throw yourself into it, and want to lie in the road for that person. It’s like the difference between having a dance in the middle of the party and standing around the outside with a beer bottle trying to look cool.”

So Ricky Gervais likes to laugh on-set…so what? Ben Stiller is clearly joking when he says, in Night at the Museum DVD extras, that “Ricky Gervais has a problem. He’s not a professional actor as a professional actor would never crack up.” The Mirror‘s misleading headline suggests Stiller is disrespecting Gervais.

UK Channel 4 may face financial oblivion in five years due to heavy spending.(The Times)

Mark of Cain, a C4 war drama featuring “British troops abusing Iraqi detainees,” was supposed to air tomorrow but has been postponed due to the current Iran hostage crisis.(BBC)

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has announced the release of the British soldiers.(Guardian)

A secretary has successfully sought libel damages from the BBC over her portrayal in a TV drama about former PM Harold Wilson.(BBC)

Green Wing hunk Julian Rhind-Tutt, who hits the London stage in Landscape with Weapon, muses on his career (“On countless occasions I seem to have collaborated with the most talented and brilliant people on the one outstanding failures of their careers.”) and his resemblance to a certain Golden Globe-winning actor (“This is something I’ve had a lot – that I’m very similar in my movements and energy and general person to Bill Nighy.”) in The Daily Telegraph.

Kevin Wicks

Kevin Wicks founded BBCAmerica.com's Anglophenia blog back in 2005 and has been translating British culture for an American audience ever since. While not British himself - he was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri - he once received inordinate hospitality in London for sharing the name of a dead but beloved EastEnders character. His Anglophilia stems from a high school love of Morrissey, whom he calls his "gateway drug" into British culture.

Latest Interviews

The Latest from Mind The Gap

America’s British population has taken to the web to voice its displeasure at news that U.S. candy giant Hershey has successfully blocked our much loved U.K.-produced chocolate from being exported to the land of the free.